Automatic safety curtain appliance.



No. 778,852. Y v PATENTED JAN.` 3, 1905. HrW. GARNSEYg J. M. TRACY. AUTOMATIC SAFETY CURTAIN APPLIANCE.

APPLICATIOEPILED APR. 28, 1904.

No. 778,852. v TATENTTD JAN. s, 1905.

H, W. CARNSBY C J. M. TRACY. AUTOMATIC SAFETY CURTAIN APTLIANCE.

APPLICATION FILED APB.. 28, 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

|ummumummm IIA iJNiTED STATES Patented January 3, 1905,

PATENT OEEicE.

HENRY W. GARNSEY AND JOHN M. TRACY, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK.

AUTOMATIC SAFETY CURTAIN APPLIANCE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 778,852, dated January, 1905. Application' filed April 28, 1904. Serial No. 205,307.

To fai/Z 'L1/71,0711, w may concern:

Be it known that we, HENRY W. GARNSEY and JOHN M. TRACY, citizens of the United States, residing at Rochester, in the county of Monroe and the State oi' New York, have invented a new and useful Automatic Safety Curtain Appliance, of which the followingis a specification.

This invention relates to safety attachments designed to be used in connection with a iireprooil stage-curtain. The attachment comprises a hinged cover adapted to cover the slot in which the lower edge of the curtain rests when the curtain is raised, the cover descending within the slot when the curtain is lowered, and the attachment also comprises a plurality of guides adapted to lie horizontally when the curtain is raised and to stand vertically adjacent the outer edge of the slot as the curtain is lowered and to guide the curtain into the slot, preventing draft from the stage outward bulging the curtain toward the footlights and throwing' the lower edge ofthe curtain out ot' alinement with the slot.

The object of the invention is to cover the slot flush with the stage when the stage is being used and to guide the curtain into the slot when same is being lowered.

The invention consists in the novel features oi` construction and combination of parts hereinat'ter shownl and described, particularly pointed out in the claims, and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a vertical elevation of a curtain, showing diagrammatically the mechanism for raising and lowering the curtain, the lower edge oi' the curtain resting in the slot,as shown by dotted lines, and showing the relative position occupied by our attachment for raising and lowering theslot-coven Fig. 2 is a detail perspective view of aportion of a stage, showing the slot and the guides for guiding the lower edge of the curtain to the slot.

Fig. 3 is a detail view ot' our slot-cover andk means for actuating' same, the parts being shown in vertical elevation, a portion of the fire-wall and stage-floor being shown in section. Fig. 4 is a detail vertical section oi' the stage-floor, taken through and at right angles to the iootlights and slot. Fig. 5 is a detail 'ward on the bar E.

section taken horizontally through the tirewall and curtain-guide at one side of the proscenium-arch.

In the drawings, A represents the prescenium-arch, the lower portion on one side of the stage only being shown, and A the tireproot' curtain. The arch is provided with the vertical guide-flange A2,which guides the vertical sides of the curtain in its ascent and descent. EXtending across the stage beneath the lower edge ofthe curtain is a slot or well B, in which the lower edge of the curtain A rests when the curtain is fully lowered.

A movable cover C iits within the slot B, the cover C having a plurality4 of hinges C hinged to its under side, and these hinges are y also hinged to the bottom ot' the slot B, as shown most clearly in Fig. 3. The slot B is of greater length than the cover C, and when the cover is moved in one direction the hinges C told down upon the bottom of the slot B and the cover C rests in the lower portion oi' the slot B upon the folded hinges, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3. Reverse movement draws the cover upward, bringing the hinges into the vertical position, (shown by the full lines in Fig. 3,) and they then serve as supports for the cover C, which lies in the slot B flush with the floor of the stage and forming a continuation of same, bridging the slot B. To effect this movement ot the cover automatically, we pivot to the inner side of the proscenium-arch A a bell-crankA lever D, the pivotal point being at the juncture ot' the long and short arms oi' the bell-crank, and to the free end of the short arm is pivoted an end of a link D', the opposite end of the link being pivotally secured to the adjacent end ot' the cover C. A triangular-shaped bracket E is slidably arranged upon a vertical bar E', the main curtain cable F passing loosely through the bracket. The cable F carries a weight F', which descends as the curtain rises and engages the bracket E, slid ing same down- The curtain-cable F and weight F are parts of the curtain-actuating mechanism. A cable G is attached at one end to the bracket E and after passing over the idle pulley Cr' has its opposite end secured to the free end of the long arm oi' the IOO bell-crank D. A weight G2 is secured to the cable Gr of sufiicient weight to d raw the bracket E upward when the weight F is raised and to aid in forcing downward the long arm of the bellcrank, the lowermost position of the weight G2 and the long arm of the bell-crank D being shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3.

Parallel to and ,adjacent the outer edge of the slot B extends a rotatable rod H, held in place by staples H and having rigidly secured thereto guide-lingers H2, the upper portions of the lingers H2 being curved, so that when turned down into a horizontal position the outer ends ol' the guide-lingers H2 lie in the lootlight-trough J, as is clearly shown in Fig. 4. When elevated, the upper portion of these lingers curve away from the curtain, as shown in Fig. 2. A lever H3 is secured to the rod H, and through the movement of the said lever the rod is rotated through a quarterrevolution, raising or lowering the guide-lingers, the object of these lingers being to prevent the lower edge of the curtain A Jfrom bulging outward from any cause, and thus preventing its seating itsell` in the slot B.

Having thus fully described our invention, what we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The combination with a curtain and stage, the stage being slotted, a hinged cover working in the slot, a bell-crank pivotally hung adjacent said cover, a link connecting an end of the cover to an arm. of the bell-crank, and means for automatically actuating the bellcrank.

2. The combination with a stage and curtain therefor, the said stage having a slot adapted to receive the lower edge of the curtain, a cover adapted to move vertically in the said slot, and means for automatically raising the said cover as the curtain rises.

3. The combination with a stage having a curtain and curtain-lowering mechanism, the

stage having a slot adapted to receive the lower edge of the curtain, of a cover adapted to move vertically in the slot and to lie flush with the upper surface of the stage when the curtain is raised, and means connected to the cover, and adapted to be actuated by the curtain-lowering mechanism, adapted to lower the cover into the slot on descent ol' lthe curtain.

4. The combination with a stage having a curtain-receiving slot and curtain-actuating mechanism, of a cover adapted to work in the said slot, hinges hinged to the bottom of the slot and to the under side of the cover, a bellcrank, a link pivotally connected to the cover and the bell-crank,a vertically-slidable bracket adapted to be actuated by the curtain mechanism, a cable connecting the bracket and the bell-crank, and a weight on the cable adapted to return the bracket to its normal position on rise of the curtain.

5. In combination with a' stage having a curtain and curtain-receiving slot, of a rod arranged parallel to the outer edge of the said slot, lingers secured to the said rod the outer portions of the lingers being curved, and means for partially rotating the said rod, as and for the purpose set Jforth.

6. The combinationwith a stage having a curtain and a slot to receive the lower edge of the curtain, of a cover adapted to work in the slot, and means working in the slot adapted to automatically raise and lower the cover simultaneously with movement oll the curtain, a rotatable rod arranged adjacent and parallel to the slot, curved lingers carried by the 'i rod, and means for rotating the rod and elevating the fingers when the cover is lowered, as and for the purpose set forth.

H. W. GARNSEY. J. M. TRACY.

Witnesses:

JAs. A. HARD, HENRY I. SADLER. 

